Angelus watched his sleeping beauty. He noticed signs of stirring. “It’s about time you woke up. I thought you’d sleep the day away.”
Her hand immediately went to throat. Under the torn flesh, she felt a strong pulse.
“No. I didn’t turn you. As I figure it, you’d probably be an even bigger bitch as a vampire and I haven’t had a nice hot cunt in a long time. And no, I don’t count Slutty. Darla was cold but her expertise made up for it. That and the fact she didn’t need to breathe made her a great fuck. Besides if I turned you, I’d lose the little control I have over you.”
“You already lost that. Fred and Connor are safe by now.” Her voice sounded foreign to her ears. It was so raspy. Her eyes quickly scanned the room for weapons. “Where are we?”
“I’m so glad you asked. I knew it was only a matter of time before the others came to your rescue. We had to relocate. Welcome to your new home. Would you like to meet your new family?”
“What?”
“A beautiful mansion like this comes equipped with everything. You should see what they’ve got to eat.” He threw a silk robe at her. “Cover yourself up. You don’t have to advertise that you’re a whore. I’m sure most people can tell right away, regardless of what you wear. I don’t want anyone gawking at my property.”
“I’m not your property, you fucking bastard.” She lashed out with her fist but she was still weak from blood loss. He easily caught the punch.
“I see you got some of your spirit back. I thought your need to be fucked was going to make you docile.” He yanked her hard. He released her hand as she lurched forward. She tumbled out of the king-size bed onto the floor. He laughed at her grunt of pain. “I said cover yourself. It’s time to meet your new family.”
She struggled to her feet. She slipped the silk robe on covering her nakedness. The soft material brought no comfort to her.
“Good girl. Now let’s go.” He grabbed her by the back of her neck and forced her to walk in front of him.
They walked down a corridor dripping with expensive artwork. He took her down a set of stairs. They stopped in front of a door with a padlock on it.
He handed her a key. “Open it.”
After she removed the padlock, he jerked her neck back. She handed him the lock and the key in response.
“If you don’t open the door, you won’t get your surprise.”
Her hand trembled as she slowly turned the knob. She had seen glimpses of sunlight during their walk. The sun was shining which meant she had been unconscious for hours. He could have caught the others and brought them to the mansion. She opened the door and found six strangers on the other side.
“Meet your new family, Cordelia.”
“What are you talking about?” There were two men, one woman, two teenage boys and one teenage girl. Six terrified people huddled together. The room was a mess. It obviously belonged to a teenager. The black walls and bars on the windows screamed a troubled teenager. She guessed it belonged to boy with dyed black hair and a nose ring. “Why are we here?”
“Well I knew you’d wake up being a bitch again. So I found us a new home and lucky for me I picked one that had a nice boy who doesn’t want anyone going into his room when he’s not home. He designed the perfect cage.”
“I don’t understand. Why..”
“You’re usually smarter than this. In this room are six innocent people and I will kill one every time you say no to me.”
Her eyes widened in horror. “What?”
“Don’t make me repeat it. I know you understood me. Like you said it’s just a matter of time before they bring Soulboy back. I plan to enjoy every moment I have with you.”
“But”
“Would you rather I just prowl the streets killing random innocent people? Do you want me to hunt down the rest of your ragtag bunch? Do you want me to hunt for Connor? What kind of do-gooder are you? You want to help people. You want to keep people safe from monsters. Well here is your chance. There are six people in this room that need your protection.”
Her tears fell unchecked. “You won’t hurt them at all, no feeding, no nothing, if I…” She turned her head away as his hand slid inside her robe and possessively squeezed her breast.
“You know what I want, baby. You want it too.” His tongue licked the flesh his teeth had ripped into. “I’ve given you the perfect excuse to give into your needs.”
Her voice came out in a whisper. “I hate you.”
“I love it when you whisper sweet nothings to me. So do we have a deal or should I just start killing.” The women shrieked in terror at his vampire features. “It’s all up to you. Their lives are in your hands.” He rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. “You know you want me.”
She looked over the frightened faces. The women were crying and the boys looked like they were about to wet their pants. The two men tried to shield the others from Angelus but their eyes were on her, pleading for her help.
“We have a deal. You don’t touch them. Any of them. Agreed?”
“Agreed. Let’s go. We’ve already wasted so much time.” He grabbed her by the neck and started dragging her from the room.
“We can’t just leave them in here.”
“Sure we can. There’s a connecting bathroom and no way to escape. I think I’m being pretty generous by not tying them up.” His yellow eyes connected with the man who had claimed to be the owner. “If I hear you trying to break the door down, I will rip out your daughter’s throat.” He shoved Cordelia out the door. He kept an eye on her as he put the padlock back in place.
“Teenagers.” He ripped the robe off her body. “There’s no need to cover yourself anymore.” He quickly removed his clothes. “Get down on your knees. Soulboy was always too much of a boy scout to a let a human woman pleasure him properly. I may not have been there that lost day but I know his memories of it. The loser didn’t even have Slutty suck him off. She wasn’t the blushing virgin anymore.” He backed her into the wall and pushed into her mouth. This time his thrusting was slower. He wanted it to last.
“He fucked her again and again that day. He never gave you a second thought. The bastard always was stupid. How could he not have noticed you right away? You suck cock like a pro. I knew you were just acting coy before.” He leisurely fucked her into the wall.
Her mouth was still sore from the last time. The image of those scared faces behind the door kept her from biting him. She forced her mind to escape the confines of her body. There was this wooded area behind her Grandmother’s house. She used to play there when she was little. She would pretend she was a lost princess. Her family and her prince were desperately searching for her. She didn’t need to be afraid because they loved her. They would find her. No harm could come to her. Their love kept her safe. The taste of a bitter fluid running down her throat brought her back to reality.
“I knew you were the perfect whore for me. Let’s go test out the bedrooms. There are seven of them and I plan to enjoy every one of them before my times up. Lucky for you if properly fed, a vampire can have amazing stamina.”
“But we agreed..”
“Don’t worry. I ate before you woke up. You didn’t think I starved myself all this time, did you? If you’d woken up sooner, there would have been three more people to protect. Who says you can’t find good help these days? The staff here helped me to a full stomach.”
“Oh god.” Her knees started to buckle.
“There’s no use crying over spilt blood. It’s over. You already failed them. Crying about it isn’t going to bring them back. Although the way people keep coming back these days, I probably shouldn’t say that.
He shoved her into a pink room with a canopy bed. It looked kind of little-girlish for the teenage girl she had seen.
“I like it. It makes me feel like a dirty old man. Get on the bed.” He grabbed some of the stuffed animals on the window seat and tossed them on the bed with her. “It sets the mood. Darla used to love to play the role of the innocent virgin. Now you get to play.”
Cordelia let her legs be pushed apart. Her mind went back to the woods. There was a beautiful tree. The branches looked like they were reaching down to scoop her up and keep her safe. No one would have guessed that Cordelia Chase loved to climb trees as a child. She would climb up to these two branches that made the perfect seat. She could lie down or sit depending on her mood. The full branches kept her shielded from prying eyes.
The tree, her tree would keep her safe until she was rescued. She was safe. It didn’t matter that he manipulated her body to give them both pleasure. Her tree kept her safe and hidden. No one could see her. It didn’t matter when she heard him grunt his release or felt the resulting gush of fluid. No one could see her. It didn’t matter when his teeth pierced her breast. None of it mattered.
“I don’t think you’re giving me your full attention.” He grabbed her by her hair and dragged her off the bed. “You seem to be distracted. You are to think only of me and the pleasure I am giving you.” He pulled her into the next room. It must have been a guest room. It didn’t have a lived in feel to it.
“We’ll skip this bed. You’re starting to stink.” He headed for the bathroom. He pushed her into the shower stall and turned the water on. “We can conserve water if we shower together. Maybe that will help keep your mind from wandering.” He handed her a bar of soap. “Now get to work before I get angry.”
She tried to concentrate on what her hands were doing. She blocked out what she was touching, only that it needed to be washed. Her hands worked quickly but thoroughly. If he became angry he would hurt the innocent people. She didn’t understand how his flesh could get hard so quickly. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she remembered Willow, Buffy and her giggling over one of the books in Giles’s apartment. A vampire didn’t have circulation. It wasn’t blood flow to the penis that gave a vampire an erection. It was simply the will of the demon.
It was theorized by the author that a vampire could keep an almost continuous erection, although the theory was never tested. Buffy had joked that she wanted to do the testing. It had seemed funny at the time. It wasn’t funny anymore. Her vagina hadn’t been torn or even bruised by the rape but it had been a long time since she’d had sex. Her body wasn’t used to the invasion.
He grabbed the soap from her hands and began washing her body. She was too quiet. She wasn’t crying. She seemed empty. His hands began teasing her flesh. Making her cum was better than making her bleed. Her self-loathing would be the perfect gift for his soul. Angel was accustomed to carrying the burden of his guilt. Watching his precious Cordy hate herself would be a new torture. As a bonus, Angel would remember what it felt like to be inside her hot, tight cunt. He would remember what it felt like to be inside her mouth, her expert tongue rubbing his cock. He would remember every pleasure she had given him and he would remember every pleasure his demon had given her. He would remember everything. This time he dropped to his knees.
“Tell me you want me to make you cum.” Tears stung her eyes.
“Tell me! I will interpret silence as a no.”
“Please…” her voice trembled, “please make me cum.”
Her tears came down in torrents when his tongue parted her folds. She willed her mind away but it wouldn’t leave. She felt every disgustingly pleasurable moment. His fingers thrust inside her stroking her sweet spot, the one no man had ever found in her before. She sobbed in grief and shameful ecstasy.
Her sobs were music to his ears. He had her full attention again. Her muscles clamped down on the invading digits. His mouth released the pulsing bundle of nerves to savor the juices flowing out of her. He removed his hand so his mouth could latch on and capture every drop. Her sobbing increased when he pushed his tongue inside her. He brought her to a new high. He was tempted to give her a third but her legs were already shaking like crazy. They needed to lie down. He shut off the water. He didn’t bother to dry them off. The sheets were going to get wet one way or another.
Cordelia had managed to hide in her tree while she was in the next three rooms. It was almost a relief when the pain started. She was beyond sore. Her clitoris was raw from over stimulation. Her entire body ached. He had decided that each room merited a new position, actually the rooms merited several positions. He was well versed and her body was flexible. When they had reached the fourth room, the older boy’s bedroom, he had found a tube of lubricant. She had never… There hadn’t been any tearing or bleeding. He had carefully prepared her while telling her how lucky she was.
She was a lucky girl because he was going to allow her to enjoy being fucked in the ass. They had taken another shower afterward. She’d been the one on her knees that time. He told her she was lucky because he was giving her other holes a short break.
Lucky, it was a strange word. She was lucky. Cordelia was a lucky girl. Aside from the bite marks, her skin was unmarred. Her mind tried to recall what her health teacher had told her. What constituted rape? Didn’t it require the woman to say no and the man to force her anyway? She hadn’t said no. She hadn’t said stop. She hadn’t said please don’t. She had asked him to make her come. She had told him how good it felt. She had told him she wanted more. She had told him she would never get enough of him. She had told him she enjoyed being his whore. Did it matter that he instructed her to say those things? Did it matter that there were six reasons in a locked room why she couldn’t say no, don’t or stop?
Was it rape when she offered herself to him in the first place? Their first deal hadn’t been his idea. He had only asked her who he should kill first, Fred or Connor. She had been the one to make an offer. His later deal had obviously been inspired by hers. He had admitted it when she woke up. He would have lost his control over her by turning her. She had shown him her weakness. Was she really a victim if she told how best to victimize her?
She was a lucky girl. She had no tearing, no bruising, nothing to show to a doctor. She had nothing to show that says look I’ve been raped. She had nothing to show that says look I’ve been raped and it wasn’t my fault. Fault, it wasn’t a very big word but it had such overwhelming connotations. Fault, it was her fault Angel had lost his soul. She’d been reckless. It was her fault that she didn’t react sooner and fled his suite. Angelus hadn’t taken her against her will. He had accepted her offer. It was her fault, but she was a lucky girl.
She had cum more times than she cared to remember. She had screamed in pleasure. That was her fault. Her body refused to obey her commands. Her body betrayed her mind’s disgust and her heart’s shame. That was her fault. She had no marks to show how she had fought her rapist. She had no marks to show her family and say I was the victim. It was all her fault.
Angelus punched her in the face sending her sprawling across the room. He hit her again but her faraway smile only got bigger.
Cordelia cradled her bruised and bloodied face. She had a mark. She had something she could show the world.
“What the fuck are you smiling about? I want you focused. That’s it. Come with me.” He grabbed her by her hair and started dragging her towards the locked room.
He slammed her head into the wall as he released her. He reached into his clothes that were still on the floor and pulled out the key. This time he didn’t hand it to her. He took it off himself and pushed her naked body inside.
“Passive behavior is no longer enough. I’m sick of you making me do all the work. I want you to pick which one dies. Their death is entirely your fault.” Fault, it’s such a tiny word.
“Please”
“Are you ready to be a little more enthusiastic? Your mind keeps wandering and I don’t like it. It makes a man feel like you don’t enjoy his touch. You like it when I touch you, don’t you? You like it when my cock is inside you, don’t you?” He grabbed one of the teenage boys by the throat. “Answer me whore!”
“Yes”
“Yes what?”
“Why don’t you leave her alone, asshole?”
Angelus turned yellow eyes to the boy choking out words. He tightened his grip. “You want to be her hero, boy?” He yanked him closer. “It wouldn’t be because she’s beautiful, would it? Being her hero hasn’t stopped you from staring at her naked body.” His glare turned to the other men in the room. “I can smell the arousal coming off all of you. So you can drop the righteous indignation.” He turned his attention back to the boy. “I’m a reasonable guy. I’m in the mood for a good fuck. To show just how reasonable I am, I’m going to let you choose who. Do I fuck your mother, who looks good for her age? Do a fuck your sister, virgins are always a treat? Or do I fuck the naked girl over there?”
The boy’s terrified eyes darted around the room.
“Leave my son alone!” The man rushed him but was sent flying with one swing.
“Come on, boy. I haven’t got forever.” He leaned in and let his voice drop to whisper. “Actually I do have forever or until the soul comes back.” He pressed the boy into the wall. “Choose!”
The boy’s tear-filled eyes locked with Cordelia’s “I’m sorry.”
Angelus dropped him. “You’re pathetic. A real man would have offered himself in their place.” He turned to Cordelia. “You want to protect people like this? They don’t care about you. They’ll sell you out every single time. Tell me to go fuck myself and walk out of this room. They don’t deserve to live. Give up!”
Her eyes closed. *They are your responsibility, Cor.*
“I can’t.” Her voice quivered. “Come to bed, Angelus.” Her hand was almost steady as she lifted it to him.
“You’re so stupid.” He took her hand.
Angelus smiled at the sobbing girl. True to her word, she became his enthusiastic lover. It had been amazing to watch her riding him, moaning in pleasure, tears streaming down her face, wincing at her sore limbs, flinching every time he touched a raw nerve. She had probably had more sex in the last 24 hours than in her entire life.
A human woman may be multi-orgasmic but not even a seasoned whore could handle this much abuse. His cock was actually becoming a little sore too. He would have to feed soon or he wouldn’t be able to continue trying to break her. She showed the signs. He didn’t have time to do it properly. He had to finish before one of the do-gooders managed to curse him. It was pointless to try and fight it. Freedom from his soul was not to be had. His soul needed to stop caring, to stop fighting his instincts. The beige period had been a valuable lesson. They could be dark together without living in a gutter. He hoped eventually the soul would retreat so deep inside them, it would practically disappear.
He would break them both. Draining Connor would have helped to achieve his goal but Cordelia’s offer was too good to resist. Forcing himself on her would never break her as quickly as making her cooperate would. Making her cum again and again to her utter disgust would hurt her in ways his fists never could. He saw it in her eyes. He saw her start to believe his words. He hadn’t seen her give up yet but he would.
“You really are a hellcat in the sack, but I’m sure you’ve been told that before.” Her sobbing grew louder. “It’s okay to enjoy being my whore. I don’t think any less of you.” He planted kisses on her back. “I think you’re the woman of my dreams. You suit me so perfectly. Your burning need to be fucked properly and often is exactly what I want in a woman.” His finger teased her puckered opening. “I knew you’d get used to it. The first time was a fluke. Hearing you cum this time was music to my ears. You like making me happy, don’t you baby?”
Cordelia couldn’t take any more. Her body hurt but not as much as her heart or her soul. Her escape didn’t work. She couldn’t see the tree. She couldn’t hide. She needed to hide.
“It’s okay, Cordy. I won’t ever leave you. I’ll be here as long as you live. I enjoy your heat too much to turn you. Just think of our life together.” He felt the familiar burning start in his chest and expand. *Good luck, Soulboy.*
Her head popped up at the sound of his gasp. She saw his eyes glow bright. Her tears switched off and her heart went numb. She didn’t wait to see his confusion slowly turn to realization then horror and disgust. She turned away and slid off the bed. The sound of his sobs reached her ears but she didn’t react. She continued digging through the mother’s dresser. She found a set of workout clothes that would fit her. After dressing, she disappeared down the hall.
The new memories pounded into his brain. Everything he did came crashing back. Every horrible action, every cruel word, every unforgivable moment played in his mind’s eye.
Cordelia threw his clothes at him. “Get dressed and wait for me by the door.” She glanced out the window. Luckily the sun had just set. Her gut clenched at the thought.
Lucky, she was a lucky girl. Lucky, it had such a strange ring to it. She didn’t wait for a response. She walked out leaving his trembling form on the bed.
She clutched the small key in her hand. The small piece of metal bit into her palm. There should have been a twinge of pain but there was nothing. She knew walking should hurt. It hurt before but there was nothing. She knew her neck and breasts should hurt from being bitten repeatedly but there was nothing. Her free hand touched her bruised face. It should hurt but there was nothing. Angel was back. She would have to face her betrayal. He would know every depraved thing she had done. He would remember every time her muscles clenched in pleasure. He would know what she had willingly done. He would know what she had become. Her heart should hurt but there was nothing.
She slowly removed the lock and stepped inside. “It’s over. You can call the police if you want but you saw him. There is nothing they can do. Just try to forget this ever happened.” She flinched away from the mother’s reaching hands. “I have to go. Can you please just stay in this room a few more minutes while I leave?”
“But”
“It’s for your own good. You don’t want to see this.”
The family huddled together. She never did ask who the other man was. Was he an employee? A friend? Extended family? It didn’t matter. They were safe. She hadn’t failed them. The six living breathing reasons were well in body. She turned to go.
“Thank you.”
It was funny to be thanked for putting someone in danger then doing whatever you had to do to keep them safe. It was her fault Angelus had been free. She had gotten their staff killed. She absently wondered what he did with the bodies. She hadn’t seen any. Would the family call the police? Would someone come to the hotel looking for Angelus only to find Angel? Would he tell them what she did?
She closed the door and said nothing. She silently moved through the house. She didn’t know exactly where the front door was. Angelus had carried her unconscious body in. Body, it was such a hollow word. Body. She had a body that had been touched and tasted and filled by a monster. It was funny. It didn’t used to sound so hollow.
He was waiting for her. His clothes were rumpled and torn. Angelus hadn’t been patient with them. She absently wondered where he had found the clothes. She didn’t remember seeing that red shirt in Angel’s closet. She didn’t speak. Her throat hurt from… His keys dangled from her fingers. It was funny. She usually got excited about driving Angel’s car. He followed her out the front door. The Plymouth was out front. Fred hadn’t taken it. She slid in behind the wheel. He normally whined about being a passenger but he said nothing.
He sat in the passenger seat crying. Her mind tried to recall ever seeing Angel cry. She couldn’t really think of a single occasion. It was funny. He wouldn’t stop crying now. Maybe he had saved up all those tears for today. She hadn’t cried since he returned. Maybe he somehow took her tears. It was lucky. Her eyes still burned from all the tears she’d shed. She was a lucky girl.
She drove around the affluent neighborhood for a while before she found the highway. He knew the way but he remained silent. He knew how they had gotten there. He knew everything. It was funny. He had all these memories even though he hadn’t been there. Not really. She had killed his soul and sent it away. Now he had these new memories thanks to her. Fault was such a small word. It was funny if you thought about it.